


i don’t want to be alone anymore

by jincess



Series: got7 mafia!au [2]
Category: GOT7
Genre: Alternate Universe - Mob, Car Chases, First Meetings, Fluff, Implied/Referenced Self-Harm, Kunpimook Bhuwakul | BamBam-centric, Light Angst, Park Jinyoung | Jr.-centric, Soft Kim Yugyeom, Strippers & Strip Clubs, kind of but not really
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-05
Updated: 2018-07-05
Packaged: 2019-05-28 16:58:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 11,719
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15053726
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jincess/pseuds/jincess
Summary: jinyoung and bambam join jaebum’s little mafia





	i don’t want to be alone anymore

**Author's Note:**

> me, uploading a new fic? suddenly it actually exists
> 
> i’m tryin to get updates on everything else i promis e hfbnf
> 
> lol idk why but the font is funny and looks small for me when its posted so uh sorry guys!!

jaebum jolts when he hears yelling from downstairs, and he grabs his gun, rushing downstairs from his office to check on the commotion. he sees mark holding a gun to someone’s head, and youngjae restraining another person. jackson’s shielding yugyeom, who’s peeking out from behind jackson.

“what’s going on here?” jaebum asks coolly, twirling his gun in his hand. “who are you two?”

mark opens his mouth to answer, but the person grabs mark’s wrist, twisting it and kicking mark in the stomach. jackson yelps and rushes over to mark, and the person grabs mark’s gun and points it jaebum, face void of expression. he tilts his head, saying, “im jaebum, correct?”

“i asked,” jaebum repeats, gripping his gun, “ _who are you_.”

“jinyoung,” the person -- jinyoung -- says with a small smirk. “that’s bambam, my brother.”

“what kind of name is _bambam_ \--”

jinyoung’s leg kicks out, and jaebum stumbles back from the kick to his chest. jinyoung steps closer, growling, “no one makes fun of my brother. are we clear?”

“ _i_ am the leader here, not you,” jaebum growls back, but jinyoung places mark’s gun against jaebum’s forehead, a sinister glint in his eyes. “i don’t care what you say. you follow _my_ rules here.”

the other person (bambam?) lets out a small giggle, making youngjae furrow his eyebrows. “jinyoungie doesn’t follow rules,” bambam says, raising an eyebrow at jaebum. “he _makes_ them.”

  
“then what do you want?” jackson spits out, pulling mark back up and keeping him close as he keeps yugyeom behind him again.

bambam eyes jackson and mark, watching as jackson’s grip around mark tightens. he looks back up at them before looking at jaebum, saying quietly, “a home.”

jaebum falters, and he tilts his head at jinyoung. “a home?”

jinyoung adjusts his grip on the gun in his hand, and he says, “in a sense, yes. our main motivation. but we’d like to join your little … mafia.”

jaebum twirls his gun again, but he doesn’t raise it at jinyoung. “and why?”

“we don’t have a home,” jinyoung chuckles darkly, rolling his eyes. “what else do you expect? and if you’re worried about our skills, i can assure you that we know what we’re doing.”

“definitely not your brother,” mark says, eyeing bambam. “he’s much too thin to be able to do something.”

bambam hums softly, and he grabs youngjae’s arms, twisting him over so that he can be let free. he pushes youngjae down on to the floor, sitting on his chest with a smile on his face. “it’s okay. i won’t hurt you. but i can if i wanted to.”

youngjae simply stares up at bambam before smiling back, humming, “i like you. you’re good.”

jackson scoffs softly, and bambam stares up at him and mark, eyes narrowing at him, saying, “you’re good at hand-to-hand combat and hacking, aren’t you. boy who tried to kill my brother -- money dealer. probably a club owner, deals with guns. you,” bambam adds, nodding at yugyeom, “a sniper. too nervous to be on the front lines. too much trauma in the past to deal with one-to-one fighting.”

“and _you_ ,” jinyoung says to jaebum, smirk growing, “are the leader. you’re just trying to keep all these boys safe, you feel _responsible_. you deal with guns and sometimes hand-to-hand combat. you’re afraid of letting them down, but you feel just as scared as them sometimes, don’t you? you’ve managed this little mafia group well because of a parent’s influence. are we correct?”

jaebum takes a deep breath, watching the way jinyoung’s eyes glint dangerously. “you are. but how can i know you didn’t do your research beforehand?”

“‘cause i don’t do research,” jinyoung purrs, his other hand going up so that he can stroke jaebum’s cheek. “i _observe_. i’ve been brought up to be a leader myself, i need to observe others well in order to lead.”

jinyoung places his hand on jaebum’s cheek, thumb stroking it gently, and mark moves forward, yanking jinyoung away and wraps his hand around his throat, choking him. mark growls, “don’t touch our leader. you haven’t earned that right yet, or even to _be_ with us.”

jinyoung laughs as much as he could with the hand wrapped his throat, saying, “have you forgotten already? i’m not alone.”

mark gasps when he feels a kick to the small of his back, unconsciously letting go of jinyoung as he’s tackled to the ground. his arms are held behind him and he feels someone sitting on his back, and he hears bambam hiss, “don’t you _dare_ hurt my brother, or i’ll _break your arm_.”

“is that an empty threat?” mark retaliates, but he hisses when bambam tugs his arm back. “ _let_ _go_.”

“bambam-ah,” jinyoung hums, rubbing his throat, “let him go. it’s fine.”

bambam lets go aggressively, standing up and going over to jinyoung. jinyoung holds him close, and jaebum watches how jackson helps mark back up, and how bambam glares defiantly back up at mark.

he turns when he hears yugyeom take a deep breath, and he notices youngjae next to him and calming him down. “hyung,” yugyeom starts, voice a bit shaky, “i think -- you should let them in with us. no, markie, sseunie, listen,” yugyeom adds when the two of them make a noise of defiance, “listen to me. jaebum hyung -- you let me in, and i was weaker than both of them, and i was barely able to defend myself the first few weeks i joined. they’re _strong_ , they know what they’re doing. let them speak, let them convince you. even if you don’t believe them, _i’ll_ let them stay in my spare room and _i’ll_ be the one to provide for them and everything.”

youngjae smiles proudly at yugyeom, who’s now biting his lip nervously due to his outburst. jaebum looks over at jinyoung and bambam, and he can’t help but give a little smile as bambam’s eyes light up a bit with hope. he clears his throat, and says, “we’ll give it a shot. if i find that you’re just spies or here to kill us, you _will_ be dealt with. but, positions. what do you want from me?”

“i want to be a leader here, too,” jinyoung says confidently. “not because i want to change up everything -- it’s the only proper thing i know how to do… i’ll put it to good use. think of me as your co-leader.”

jaebum sighs, “we’ll have to work that out, but i’ll see how we can do that. bambam?”

“anything’s fine by me,” bambam hums with a shrug. “i don’t care.”

“you can work with jackson and mark at the club,” jaebum decides after a while, knowing that mark’s glaring at him now. “youngjae and maybe yugyeom can also help you with any technique you’re not confident in. is that okay?”

bambam nods, looking over at mark and jackson. “that’s fine by me. but are _they_ okay with it? i don’t think they want me around…”

jaebum, at that moment, catches a flicker of insecurity go through bambam’s eyes, expression dropping just a bit before returning to its confident facade he had on at first. jaebum realizes now that bambam’s just a young kid, most likely the same age as yugyeom, and he’s most likely only had jinyoung to lean on for most of his life. he sees and understands why they’re so _protective_ of each other -- it reminds him of how he was when he and the others took in yugyeom three years ago, when he was only 17, and how jaebum wouldn’t tolerate _anything_ that was even the slightest bit harmful toward yugyeom.

“they will be,” jaebum says firmly, straightening his back. “and if they aren’t, come talk to me. i’ll deal with it then.”

mark scoffs and goes upstairs, shoving past jinyoung and bambam as jackson follows him. mark’s shoulder bumps into bambam, making him stumble back into jinyoung, who steadies him and glares after mark.

“they’ll get better,” yugyeom says gently, glancing at bambam. “th-they were kinda like that with me, but they were nicer ‘cause i was more -- vulnerable? they’ll get better.”

“i hope so,” bambam whispers, turning back to jinyoung and refusing to look any of them in the eye. “it’s fine. i can deal with it.”

jaebum sighs, moving away from the wall he was leaning against, saying, “okay. c’mon, let’s get you guys started.”

* * *

   
bambam walks into the main room of the club, listening to the music playing. the red and purple and blue lights hit him, and he hums as he walks over to where mark and jackson are. “hey.”

mark turns, a scowl immediately on his face. “why are you here?”

“i’m here to work,” bambam replies snarkily, raising an eyebrow. “did you forget already?”

“we don’t need extra help here,” mark scoffs, turning back to jackson. “just go back to the house.”

“no,” bambam says firmly, and he crosses his arms in defiance. “i will not.”

mark growls, and jackson holds him back, saying, “just leave him be. he’ll leave soon.”

bambam rolls his eyes and leans against a wall, looking around the room as mark and jackson talk. there’s two pole dancing poles in the center on the little stage, and there’s chairs surrounding the stage. he notices one chair being occupied by a man in a crisp and neat business suit, and he realizes this may be the mood for jackson and mark’s arguing.

mark lets out a sudden groan of frustration, and bambam hears him say, “why did _both_ of them have to be unavailable? we needed someone to get the info and money from him--”

“we’ll just have to think of something,” jackson starts, but he stops when bambam says, “is there anything i can help with?”

“no,” mark replies immediately, “there isn’t. we’ll deal with this on our own. c’mon, jacks.”

bambam watches as mark and jackson leave, presumably to some sort of office, before glancing back at the man, who’s staring with disinterest into space. bambam sighs, shrugging off his jacket and tossing it to the side, making sure that with the current lighting, the gun at his hip isn’t visible before taking a deep breath and slowly walking over to the man.

“hello,” bambam coos, leaning down to be face to face with the man. “what’s your name?”

the man looks up in slight surprise, but his expression morphs into one of coolness. “chanwoo. what’s yours, gorgeous?”

bambam stifles his noise of disgust at the name, and he manages to say coolly, “that’d ruin the theme of this club, wouldn’t it? call me _double b_.”

“all right,” chanwoo hums, leaning back. “what will you do then, double b? i haven’t seen you around here before.”

“i’m new,” bambam purrs, batting his eyelashes at chanwoo. “but i’ll assure you i know what i’m doing.”

“is that so?” chanwoo chuckles. “go ahead, then.”

bambam grins and stands back up, going over to the poles -- the music in the background continues to play and it calms his nerves -- he hasn’t done anything like this in a while.

chanwoo watches bambam as he goes up to the pole, dancing with the music. his stare is intense and bambam lets himself go, knowing that he’s succeeding in ‘seducing’ chanwoo.

he slides off the pole after a while and saunters his way over to chanwoo, placing himself almost on his lap but not just quite, still moving his hips. he slaps chanwoo’s hand away when it comes up to lay on his hip, tutting, “ah-ah -- you can’t touch the dancer. it’s basic rules.”

chanwoo sighs but lets his hand drop, watching as bambam continues to move his hips. bambam looks down with a slight grin, cooing, “i think i’ve heard of you. you’ve challenged jaebum-ah many times before, haven’t you?”

“i did not,” chanwoo hums, rolling his eyes. “what would you know?”

“you owe him money, don’t you?” bambam challenges, eyebrow raised. “let me guess -- five million won? ten million?”

“... twenty-one million,” chanwoo sighs, “but what of it? you’re just a pretty little dancer here.”

“am i?” bambam grins, and chanwoo blinks at the gun now pointed at his forehead. “go on. tell me more. what else have you done?"

chanwoo moves to shove him off, but bambam presses the barrel of the gun against chanwoo’s forehead. at bambam’s look, chanwoo sighs and tells him all of what he owed jaebum.

“interesting,” bambam hums. “how about…,” bambam adds, his hips stilling, “you give me what you owe jaebum, and i’ll let you go. deal?”

chanwoo sighs and he gets out his wallet, taking out the desired amount plus some extra and throwing it on the ground. “here.”

“i don’t like disrespect,” bambam sighs in mock sadness. “i don’t like that. and you haven’t been very nice just now. jaebum won’t be happy with that. and,” bambam chuckles, finger around the trigger, “i didn’t _promise_.”

* * *

 

  
mark jolts mid-sentence when he hears a gunshot, looking at jackson with wide, confused eyes. “what was that?”

“i don’t know,” jackson furrows his eyebrows in confusion. “is bambam still out there--?”

mark stands up quickly, rushing out of the office with jackson close behind. as much as he and jackson don’t like jinyoung and bambam, he wouldn’t dare allow either of them to be hurt, especially since they’re under jaebum’s care now.

mark gets into the room, starting to say bambam’s name but he stops, jackson bumping into him. he stares at the sight of bambam, counting the cash in his hands. the client -- chanwoo, mark thinks his name is -- is dead against the chair, a clean bullet wound in his forehead, and mark notices the blood splattered against bambam’s shirt and a few splats against his cheek. bambam looks up when he hears the two come in and he stands, going over to them and shoving the money in mark’s hand.

“twenty-one million won he owed jaebum with an additional ten million won,” bambam says nonchalantly. “that was all that was in his wallet. and these,” bambam adds with a shrug, holding up two black cards. “a rich man, but too stingy to pay back jaebum hyung. he also groped me after he threw the money on the floor and refused to be nice. i didn’t like that. so he’s dead now!”

bambam looks at mark and jackson expectantly, and mark looks down at the thick wad of cash in his hand before looking back up at bambam. “this wasn’t what i was expecting.”

“oh, did you want more information?” bambam frowns. “he said that he wanted to take over this mafia. he wanted to kill jaebum hyung. i didn’t like that either. another reason why he’s dead.”

mark looks over at chanwoo’s lifeless body, and jackson sighs, “at least he’s taken out now.”

bambam grabs his jacket and his gun, moving around mark to leave. mark grabs his wrist, saying, “where are you going?”

“you wanted me to go home,” bambam says flatly. “i ruined your plans and whatnot. so i’ll go.”

mark sighs and flips through the money, handing a curious-eyed bambam five million won. “here. take this. you actually helped. thank you.”

“but--”

“as much as it seems like jackson and i hate you and your brother,” mark starts, “it won’t mean i’m going to disregard you completely. i’ll give my thanks when it’s due. you work here now, jaebum said it, so some of the extra money goes to you. keep it.”

bambam slowly smiles, and mark and jackson can feel themselves becoming weaker, slowly but surely, at bambam’s cuteness. “you know, you two are cool when you’re not being mean.”

jackson rolls his eyes, but this time, in a slightly fonder way, saying, “and you’re all right when you don’t try to act all tough. you think that you’re really up there, but you’re not the only one who can tell how a person is by just observing them.”

“you’re still vulnerable and scared,” mark says, playing with the cash in his hands. “you keep up the front because you don’t want jinyoung to be worried. you _both_ do that to one another. you’re nervous to be here because you’re afraid jinyoung will stray away from you, and that you’ll be alone. that’s a fear of yours, isn’t it?”

bambam stays silent, biting his lip and kicking the floor gently. “... it is. but i can defend myself. i can, and jinyoung knows it. i just want to prove it to all of you, because it feels like you guys don’t believe that because i look so small and thin…”

bambam takes a deep breath, looking up at mark and jackson. “and i don’t want that. that’s why i immediately agreed to be here. i can put both aspects into play. i look… i guess, smaller than other people, and therefore more ‘innocent’, but i can prove i’m strong and i can handle myself and take out a target. i am capable of that, but no one but jinyoungie believes that. they never do. they always take advantage, like how chanwoo tried to…”

bambam shudders, shrugging on his jacket and hugging himself. mark sighs and puts his hand on bambam’s shoulder, wincing when the younger flinches slightly. “... we’ll give you both a chance. but if i find that either of you are jeopardizing our mafia, you’re _both_ out, no exceptions. i’ll give you a basis of how things work in this club and jackson can get you caught up with what your job actually is. deal?”

the younger boy smiles up at the two of them, a slightly excited glint in his eyes. “promise?”

“we promise,” jackson hums, patting bambam’s other shoulder. “let’s get you home, i don’t want your brother to think something happened to you. although, he may think that with all that blood…”

“it’s okay!” bambam grins proudly. “i’ll show him i did my first job really well!”

* * *

 

  
“we’re home~” bambam sings as he enters the house, mark and jackson following close behind. “jinyoungie hyung! where are you?”

jinyoung comes out of the kitchen, going over to bambam. he falters mid-smile, a frown now on his face as he rushes over, tilting bambam’s head to the side. “what happened? why is there blood on you?”

“i killed a target,” bambam says giddily, holding up the five million won in his hand. “and i got the money he owes jaebum hyung! and some extra because mark hyung gave me some.”

jinyoung eyes mark, his eyebrows furrowing. “you left him alone, didn’t you. you have a slightly guilty expression.”

mark sighs, running his hand through his hair. “i admit, i did, but i was frustrated at how we had no one there to help with the target, but i swear jackson and i came as soon as we heard a gunshot.”

“what if that gunshot was towards bam and it could’ve _killed_ him,” jinyoung growls, turning bambam around so he can hug him close, the younger’s back against jinyoung’s chest. “i’ve almost lost him _so_ many times, and vice versa. i won’t let you do some dumb shit like put my brother in potential _danger_ \--”

“it’s okay, hyung,” bambam says, leaning his head back to look at jinyoung. “i dealt with it. i’m strong, remember?”

“i know,” jinyoung sighs, “i’m just… scared.”

“it was a bit scary,” bambam admits. “the target touched me… i didn’t like that.”

jinyoung’s expression hardens and he turns back to mark and jackson. “this is just the first time, so i’ll be _somewhat_ forgiving this time. but i don’t want to ever see bambam left alone in that damn club, are we clear? i won’t allow him to be alone and go into relapse because you two weren’t _there_.”

“it won’t happen again,” jackson nods, and he and mark can tell that jinyoung was definitely raised to be a leader.

“i’m fine now, hyung,” bambam says, wiggling out of jinyoung’s grip. “besides, this blood feels _gross_. i’m gonna go shower.”

bambam goes upstairs, and jinyoung watches him until he hears the click of the bathroom door shutting. he turns back to mark and jackson with a sigh, running his hand through his hair. “i’m sorry. i’m just… protective of him. i don’t want something bad happening to him, you know?”

mark purses his lips, and he says, “i understand. that’s how jaebum was -- and is -- with yugyeom. i think those two will get along well.”

“i hope so,” jinyoung hums, voice getting quieter. “i just -- i want bam to feel safe and accepted, you know? i want him to be friends with you all. i don’t care if you all hate me, as long as bam’s treated well.”

jackson manages to smile at this, and he says, “we made a promise to bambam. we’ll both give you two a chance, but if we find that you’re jeopardizing the group or spies, we’ll go straight to jaebum to have you kicked out. will you agree to it as well?”

“of course,” jinyoung says, biting his lip. “and i promise we won’t do anything to jeopardize you all.”

bambam soon comes downstairs with yugyeom next to him, and jinyoung smiles when he sees them chatting animatedly with each other. bambam grins at jinyoung, saying, “yugy showed me how to take the blood off properly!”

“that’s great,” jinyoung says, nodding at yugyeom in thanks. “you feeling better? jaebum-ah and i made dinner, it’s almost done.”

mark raises an eyebrow at the concept of jinyoung and jaebum cooking together, but bambam says, “you cooked something? ahh… we’ll eat good.”

jinyoung smiles shyly, and he turns to go back into the kitchen. “go get the table ready, bam-ah. c’mon.”

bambam quickly goes to help, and yugyeom looks over at mark and jackson. he tilts his head and says quietly, “did you accept them?”

mark nods, pulling jackson close. “we did. we’re giving them a chance.”

yugyeom smiles as if he knows something, and he hums in acknowledgement, saying, “i can tell. there’ll be something more.”

“what do you me--”

yugyeom rushes into the kitchen with a giddy smile, leaving mark and jackson to stare in confusion. jackson shrugs and says, “come on, let’s just go.”

they find that youngjae was also in the kitchen, and so all seven of them eventually sit together at the table. jinyoung and bambam wait and watch as everyone starts to eat, and jaebum furrows his eyebrows, saying, “why won’t you two eat with us?”

jinyoung blinks at him. “are we allowed to?”

“of course you are,” jaebum says in concern, “why wouldn’t you be able to be?”

“we usually only get whatever’s left over, which was never really a lot,” bambam replies, tilting his head. “do you not do that?”

“of course we don’t,” youngjae says with a solemn expression. “eat as much as you’d like, okay?”

bambam looks over at jinyoung with uncertainty, and jinyoung sighs, nodding at bambam as he says, “i suppose so…”

bambam breaks apart his chopsticks and hesitantly reaches for a piece of meat. he looks at jaebum warily, and the leader nods encouragingly, smiling when bambam hurriedly shoves the meat in his mouth and chews it happily. “it’s really good, thank you…”

jinyoung slowly starts to eat as well, and all seven of them begin to eat normally. jinyoung and bambam stay out of their conversations, but they look away with shyness when they get praised for their work that day.

yugyeom nudges bambam gently, and bambam looks up to see yugyeom smiling down at him encouragingly as he says, “don’t be so quiet. you can talk with us.”

bambam shakes his head and slinks back in his seat, mumbling, “no thanks. i don’t want to be a bother.”

“you’re not!” yugyeom huffs, scrunching up his nose in disagreement. “you’re interesting. besides, i wanna hear the rest of the story about jinyoung hyung being cool.”

bambam smiles sheepishly at jinyoung, who raises his eyebrows at him, and bambam explains, “i… may have talked about the time you killed half a mafia because i got really hurt?”

mark’s chopsticks fall and clatter against the table, and jaebum looks up with wide eyes, saying, “you did _what_?”

“i told you,” jinyoung shrugs, “no one hurts my baby brother.”

jaebum hums, impressed, and jackson asks, “yo, but, like… how the _fuck_.”

jinyoung stuffs his mouth with rice, and when he swallows it, he says, “we were cornered and it was basically half of a mafia. we were doing well, and then bambam got shot just above his heart.” he looks up with a stoic expression directed at mark and jackson. “see why i got angry when you said you only came when you heard the gunshot? i don’t even remember much that happened. bam said i went fucking ballistic apparently, refused to stop until everyone in that mafia at the sight was dead. i just saw _red_.”

“it was scary but also really cool,” bambam shrugs. “but i trust jinyoung, so it’s really not that scary to me.”

bambam rubs the area above his heart, saying, “sometimes i get random pains at that spot, and it _really_ fucking hurts. but i’ve gotten better with just coping with it and letting it go.”

“you shouldn’t just let it hurt, that can be dangerous,” youngjae frowns in concern, pointing his chopsticks at bambam. “come with me after dinner, okay? i’ll check up on you. i deal with all the medical aspects in the group, it’s my specialty.”

“thank you,” bambam whispers, a small smile on his face. “i appreciate that.”

youngjae nods, and he goes back to his food. jinyoung sets down his chopsticks and says, “it may have been a bit too much of a wild start but -- i feel as though we should have proper introductions. shall we?”

his tone leaves no room for discussion, so jaebum sighs, saying, “i’ll go first, then. im jaebum, leader of this little mafia. i specialize in guns and negotiation. i’ve been in this business since i was a kid, trained to be a leader since i was 10.”

mark picks his chopsticks back up, stabbing at his rice. “mark tuan. i deal with all the money and i own the club. a specialty of mine is also with guns. i’ve stuck with jaebum since he’s been trained to be a leader. i was supposed to become his second in command, but they separated us, and i found him again when he started this mafia. since then, i’ve been a second in command, but that’s more passed down to whoever will be the co-leader, which is now jinyoung.”

jackson shifts so that he’s leaning back against mark’s chest. “jackson wang. i specialize in hand to hand combat and hacking, and i co-own the club with mark. mark’s the one that found me, just a bit before he found jaebum again, so we joined together.”

jackson averts his gaze, and mark nuzzles his nose against jackson’s hair. youngjae rolls his eyes and says, “choi youngjae. i can deal with any technique, but mainly hand to hand combat. i also deal with all the medical aspects here, whether it’s to poison someone or to patch you guys up. just as you said about bambam, jinyoung -- if someone hurts yugyeom, they’ll regret it.”

yugyeom smiles shyly at this, and he nervously glances up at jaebum. he nods encouragingly, and yugyeom lets out a shaky breath, saying, “u-um… i’m kim yugyeom. i s-stay away from the front lines -- i’m a s-sniper. and, um, i’m with youngjae? a-and i’m really grateful for jaebum b-because he’s the one that let me in. that’s all…”

yugyeom slinks back, and youngjae kisses his cheek reassuringly. bambam smiles at yugyeom, who smiles back, albeit a bit shyly. jinyoung sighs and says, “as you know, i’m jinyoung and that’s bambam. i’ve been raised to be a leader as well, while bam-ah was just… trained to be besides me, i guess, which isn’t something i want him to be forced into doing. i’m good with guns, and bambam’s like youngjae, but he’s also very good at persuading people.”

“you didn’t mention a family name,” jaebum frowns, tilting his head. “why is that?”

jinyoung’s expression hardens, and bambam hisses, “we don’t _want_ to live up to our family name. i most definitely don’t want to, not after what our father’s forced us to do.”

“what did your father do?” jackson asks, eyebrows furrowed. “how--”

“stop, hyung,” yugyeom says, his tone turning firm, surprising jackson. “look at them, do you think they want to remember?”

jackson looks at jinyoung and bambam, and he winces when he sees bambam’s eyes squeezed shut and jinyoung clenching his fists, shaking slightly. “ _shit_ , i’m sorry.”

“it’s just the same as when yugy remembers something,” youngjae reprimands lightly, arm tightening around yugyeom. “don’t make them remember anything about their father. it’s simple.”

“they already did,” jinyoung snaps, looking up at mark and jackson. “when you left bambam alone -- didn’t you hear what he said when you three came back? the target _touched_ him in a _club_ and you weren’t there to _stop that_. is that enough fucking information for you?”

jackson bites his lip, and mark says calmly, “look, i’m sorry. i really am, we both are. we’re not gonna do it again.”

“hyung,” bambam whispers, eyes opening slowly as he turns to jinyoung, “it’s fine. it didn’t make me remember too much. you know i’ve blocked off the memories too well.”

“i think w-we should stop talking about it,” yugyeom pipes up, previous confidence now gone. “it’s a touchy subject…”

“you’re right, yugy,” bambam says, setting down his chopsticks and standing up. “in fact -- youngjae hyung, when you’re done, you can examine me and whatnot.”

“no, it’s fine, we can do it now,” youngjae says, getting up as well. he smiles when yugyeom also scrambles up, adding, “you wouldn’t mind yugy joining us, would you?”

“of course not,” bambam smiles, linking arms with yugyeom. “c’mon, you’re practically my new best friend now. i don’t mind you being there.”

yugyeom lights up happily, and he begins to talk enthusiastically with bambam as they go upstairs, youngjae following them while shaking his head fondly.

jinyoung watches them go, and he sets down his chopsticks as well, wiping his mouth with the napkin and picking up his and bambam’s plates before standing. “excuse me.”

he sets the plates in the sink, and he goes after the three. he enters the room and leans against the wall, watching as bambam and yugyeom continue to talk. bambam strips off his shirt and notices jinyoung, waving at him, prompting jinyoung to smile softly and nod back. yugyeom looks over at jinyoung and quiets down immediately, quietly sitting next to bambam. jinyoung frowns, saying, “yugyeom -- you don’t have to be nervous around me. i really appreciate what you’ve done for the both of us so far.”

yugyeom relaxes with a smile, and he turns back to bambam, saying, “you’re really skinny.”

bambam snorts, patting his stomach. “you’re right. jinyoungie used to tell me i have chopstick legs.”

“you still do,” jinyoung rolls his eyes. “you’re really thin.”

“you two don’t seem like brothers, at first glance,” youngjae says, setting down a container full of materials. “but you look closely, and there’s a bit of resemblance, in a way.”

“was it easy for you to tell?” bambam asks curiously, tilting his head as youngjae examines the closed up wound on his chest.

“yeah,” youngjae hums with a shrug. “you both have this sort of… princely aura to you? i’m not sure how to explain that… you just have these nice princely features, in a way. also, your ears both stick out more than it usually would. your lips have similar thicker shapes, and you both have some baby fat in your cheeks. it’s cute.”

“he caught on to us,” bambam moans dramatically. “he found our secret. he knows the ways.”

jinyoung starts laughing, hand coming up to cover his mouth to quiet himself down. youngjae grins at this and flicks bambam’s forehead, saying, “yah, don’t be like that. of course i know. i know all.”

“im jaebum who? our only savior is youngjae,” bambam wails, leaning against yugyeom, who’s starting to giggle as well. “choi youngjae is our new leader. tell us, leader-nim, what do you want us to do?”

youngjae stands up straight, jutting out his jaw as an impression of jaebum, making jinyoung wheeze. “i’m the big tough guy and you should listen to me!”

yugyeom hides his face against bambam’s shoulder, shaking as he laughs loudly at youngjae’s impression. youngjae relaxes his expression and returns to examining bambam’s chest, chuckling, “if jaebum heard me, he’d get mad. but he knows it’s all in good fun.”

youngjae pokes bambam’s stomach, making him squeak, and jinyoung doubles over, trying to catch his breath from laughing so hard. “i’m a master at this.”

jinyoung stands back up, gasping out, “this is too much, i haven’t laughed like this in years.”

“well, i’m the happy vitamin, so expect to be laughing a lot,” youngjae says with a smile before turning back to bambam with a solemn expression. “this wound, did it close up on its own or did someone stitch it up?”

“i stitched it up with whatever medical knowledge i had as much as i could, and then the rest closed up and healed on its own because we couldn’t get proper medical attention,” jinyoung says, his smile now wiped off his face. “is it bad?”

“no, you did a pretty decent job for whatever little stitching you did,” youngjae admits, running his finger over the area. “everything was sterilized and everything before you pulled out the bullet and stitched him up, of course, right?”

jinyoung nods, and youngjae continues, “the most i can really do is give him this sort of cream that jaebum also uses for his own previous gunshot wound pains. from the looks of it, you responded pretty quick, because any more time and he could have died.”

bambam smiles up at jinyoung, who smiles back at him weakly. bambam turns to yugyeom and says, “yo, we should all like, compare who’s the most ripped or the most scarred. both ways, it sure isn’t me.”

“jackson’s really buff,” yugyeom says with a hum. “definitely the most ripped in terms of muscles. jaebum’s a close second. jaebum’s probably the most scarred after me.”

“another person i’m gonna protect with all my soul?” bambam says dramatically. “i’m here for it.”

yugyeom snorts, playing with his fingers. “well, um, if you want. i can’t say much. as long as you don’t see me as weak, then go ahead.”

“only if you do the same to me,” bambam says, winking while doing finger guns at yugyeom, who relaxes slightly. “besides, we’re bros now. youngjae would also beat me up if i did something wrong.”

“nah,” youngjae says, rummaging through his things. “i’d just poison you. quick and simple. but i know you won’t, so you’re fine.”

“can you teach me how to make those poisons?” bambam says, slipping his shirt back on and accepting the bottle of cream that youngjae hands him. “i can help a bit. i’ve made one or two a few months back.”

“of course, if jinyoung’s okay with it,” youngjae agrees, glancing at jinyoung, who nods encouragingly. “great! we can do that tomorrow. i can’t wait to see your own poisons. how lethal?”

“one of them dripped onto a target’s lips without him knowing,” bambam hums. “he licked his lips and he immediately starting coughing up blood. dead in two minutes.”

“no way,” youngjae whines, “my record is two minutes and 9 seconds. how?”

bambam shrugs, pursing his lips. “not quite sure. i just threw stuff together. i remember the ingredients and all, though.”

“i’ll be excited to work with you about those, then,” youngjae grins, patting bambam’s head. “this’ll be fun.”

* * *

 

  
bambam enters the training room hesitantly, jinyoung right behind him. he sees youngjae, mark, and jaebum watching as yugyeom spars with jackson. jinyoung holds bambam close, examining how jackson’s evidently going easy on yugyeom, who keeps faltering in his movements.

“go intercept, like you’re gonna help yugyeom,” jinyoung whispers, nudging bambam with a nod. bambam grins and sneaks up behind jackson -- he catches youngjae’s eye and shakes his head, and youngjae grins back at him, pretending to zip his lips. when jackson’s about to throw a punch at yugyeom, bambam drops down and sweeps his leg out so that it trips jackson. jackson falls backwards, and yugyeom gasps in surprise as jackson sits up in a confused daze.

jinyoung claps slowly as he approaches, a smile on his face. “well, jackson, aren’t you going to get up and defend yourself?”

jackson blinks up at them, and he says, “what the _fuck_ happened overnight with your hairs.”

jinyoung runs his hand through his now jet black hair, and bambam hums as he fixes his now blue-gray hair. “i think it looks great,” bambam muses, tilting his head at jackson. “is it distracting?”

“no--”

“then stop being distracted,” bambam chuckles, kicking jackson’s chest. jackson growls at the impact, standing up in position to spar. “come on, fight me.”

jackson throws the first punch, and bambam dodges it, grabbing jackson’s wrist and twisting it behind him. as they spar, jinyoung takes yugyeom’s hand and leads him to where the others are. yugyeom smiles at him shyly but thankfully, and he takes youngjae’s hand instead. jaebum looks at jinyoung, asking, “are you not worried about bambam?”

“of course not,” jinyoung says nonchalantly. “bammie’s strong. i know that. no one else does, and i want him to show it.”

as bambam and jackson continue to fight, letting out small grunts and yells, youngjae hums, “bambam is pretty good. he’s holding up nicely.”

jinyoung smiles proudly, a _that’s my little brother_ expression on his face at the words. “i told you.”

their attention is drawn back to the sparring when jackson flips bambam over, throwing him onto the ground. bambam gasps out, clutching his chest, and jinyoung straightens immediately, knowing this is not something to trick jackson. jaebum and youngjae seem to notice this, too, as the leader also straightens and youngjae calls out, “draw! duel over!”

jackson pulls away immediately, holding out a hand out to bambam. the younger shakily accepts his hand, letting jackson pull him up. youngjae walks over immediately, placing his hand against bambam’s chest and feeling it. youngjae soon pulls away his hand, saying, “broken rib.”

jackson’s expression falls, and youngjae clarifies, “no, not from you. you didn’t do anything wrong. the impact probably just triggered the pain -- it’s mostly healed, but not in an actual medical sense. probably a few years ago.”

bambam smiles at jackson reassuringly, saying, “it’s not your fault, really. it just flared up when you threw me down. no need to apologize.”

jackson nods reluctantly, and he rubs bambam’s shoulder. “you did really good, though. you’re as strong as you claimed.”

bambam’s smile widens, and he grins at jinyoung, who nods at him with a soft smile in return. mark straightens up and narrows his eyes at jinyoung, saying, “how many wounds do you guys have?”

“oh, youngjae hasn’t checked up on me,” jinyoung chuckles. “but i don’t have as much scars as jaebum and yugyeom.”

“how do you--”

“the group cutie told me,” jinyoung grins, nodding at yugyeom, who hides bashfully. “he didn’t say much, just that they’re both the most scarred.”

“glad we have that established,” jaebum says, eyebrow raised. “but how bad are you two?”

jinyoung slips off his shirt, turning around to show off the scar running down his back from his right shoulder to his left hip. yugyeom whimpers slightly and youngjae steps forward to examine the scar. “this is my worst, and my main one, really. i don’t remember what happened, and i don’t think it’d be good if i even did.”

youngjae reaches out, and, upon receiving a nod from jinyoung, he runs his hand down the scar gently, making jinyoung shiver. “sorry. it’s just… i can’t begin to think of how this happened…”

jinyoung shrugs, slipping back on his shirt. “i don’t know either.”

bambam shifts nervously, and yugyeom notices, saying, “hey, i think we sh-should move on. i wanna see mark hyung and jaebum hyung fight…”

“oh, no, i don’t think i should,” mark says with a chuckle, shaking his head. “how about jaebum and jinyoung?”

jinyoung looks at jaebum, who shakes his head and says, “no. i don’t want to have a physical fight. we can do weapons if you want.”

jinyoung places his hand at his hip, hovering over his gun. “is that so?”

jaebum nods, and jinyoung pulls out his gun, cocking it and firing it at jaebum, who ducks in time before it hits him. bambam pulls mark and yugyeom away as jaebum pulls out his own gun, humming softly, “it’d be best to move…”

yugyeom shifts so he’s next to youngjae, immediately intertwining his fingers with youngjae’s. bambam smiles over at them, saying, “you also did really good, yugy.”

“thank you,” yugyeom smiles back, and youngjae squeezes his hand encouragingly. “i-i could’ve been better, though…”

“i think you did amazing as well,” youngjae reassures, and yugyeom ducks his head, smile growing on his face. “don’t do that, come on, look at me.”

yugyeom looks over at youngjae, who pecks his cheek and causes yugyeom to squeak in surprise. bambam chuckles and turns back to the fight, no longer hearing gunshots. he sees jinyoung and jaebum pointing their guns at each other, and bambam calls out, “hey now, no murdering.”

jinyoung snorts and lowers his gun, turning to bambam. “no murdering?”

“yes, no murdering,” bambam says, wagging his finger dramatically. “i won’t allow that.”

“cute,” jinyoung hums, putting his gun back in its holster at his hip. “nice to know.”

jaebum puts his gun away as well, and he says, “you’re both pretty good. what else can you both do?”

“i’m great at driving,” bambam grins, a gleam in his eyes. “i can get you out of anywhere.”

“more like you drive way too fast and could potentially crash,” jinyoung rolls his eyes. “but yeah. you can get us out of anywhere.”

“interesting,” jaebum hums, a grin slowly forming on his face. “i hope you still know how to drive well. you’re both coming on our next mission.”

* * *

 

  
yugyeom looks into the lens of his sniper, aiming carefully at one of the targets. he puts his finger over the trigger, and he hears jackson say through his earpiece, “ _not yet, kyum. wait a few more seconds_.”

“i don’t like waiting,” yugyeom grumbles, flexing his finger against the trigger. “hurry up, guys.”

“ _our kyum is bossy today_ ,” jaebum’s voice crackles over the earpiece. “ _stay patient_.”

“ _be good_ ,” youngjae adds gently, and yugyeom sighs, relaxing.

“ _now, kyum_ ,” jackson says, and yugyeom grins, pulling the trigger and watching the target get shot in the head. he turns the sniper and aims at the second target, aiming at his head and shooting. jackson whoops through the intercom, saying, “ _good job, kyum. you’re done. get out to safety. has anyone seen double b?_ ”

“ _he’s coming_ ,” yugyeom hears jinyoung say, and he begins to grab his gun and pull the strap over his shoulder. “ _get out of there, kyum_.”

“got it,” yugyeom mumbles, jumping off from the roof onto a balcony. he carefully jumps from balcony to balcony until he finally jumps onto the ground. he adjusts the strap of the gun, looking around to make sure there’s no one nearby. he flinches back when he spots the headlights of a car coming close very quickly, and he tries to hide before he can get caught.

the car stops in front of yugyeom and the passenger door opens, and yugyeom gasps, “bam?”

“yo,” bambam grins. “come on, hurry!”

yugyeom scrambles into the car, shutting the door and shrugging off his sniper so that it’s on his lap. he puts on his seatbelt and bambam immediately steps on the gas, and yugyeom squeaks in surprise at the sudden speed.

“ _kyum, are you safe?_ ” mark asks, and yugyeom startles at how he can hear his voice through the radio system of the car.

bambam motions for yugyeom to talk, and yugyeom says, “yeah. yeah, i am. i’m with double b.”

“s’up, guys,” bambam chuckles, jerking the wheel to the right, causing them to take a sharp turn. “kyum and i are on a joy ride. well, not really. targets were following me, but i’ve lost them for now.”

“ _what do you mean you guys have targets following you?_” jaebum hisses, and yugyeom hears the gunshots through his earpiece and the radio. “ _what the fuck, double b_.”

“oh, you’re such a worrywort,” bambam rolls his eyes, and he eyes his rear-view mirror, humming, “ah. they’re coming back.”

“ _i swear if you fucking--_”

“can’t hear you!” bambam says, fiddling with the controls, and yugyeom giggles when jaebum’s voice goes away from the radio but continues to ramble through his ear. “stop being so worried, sheesh.”

“he says you better not get either of us hurt,” yugyeom says, trying to stifle his laughter.

“yeah, yeah, i’m not dumb,” bambam rolls his eyes again. “why would i get us hurt in the first place? dumbass.”

“ _he’s still a leader, double b, respect him_ ,” jinyoung warns gently.

  
“yes, pepi. whatever.”

bambam glances over at yugyeom, asking, “you’re not scared of fast speeds and sharp turns, are you?”

“nope. we have jackson.”

“good. hold on tight, then.”

bambam presses down on the gas again, and the car seems to go impossibly faster. yugyeom leans back against his seat as bambam turns through different turns as a decoy. bambam says, “get out your gun. any one of them. be ready to shoot, okay?”

“shooting the targets? fantastic,” yugyeom grins, pulling out his regular gun from its holster at his hip.

“ _this is a bad idea_ ,” they hear jackson groan, and yugyeom can hear a soft thunk, as if jackson hit his head against the table. “ _double b, stop influencing him_.”

“ _you’re doing amazing, baby_,” youngjae laughs, and yugyeom grins at the praise. “ _keep doing what you’re doing, just stay safe, okay?_ ”

“got it,” yugyeom says, rolling down his window. he hears gunshots from the car behind him, and he looks through the wing mirror to see someone leaning out and shooting at them. “why are they always so dumb, being the first ones to lean out?”

“ _shoot ‘em, honey_ ,” youngjae says, and yugyeom laughs, leaning out the window and firing his gun. he grins when the person get shot in the forehead, saying, “got ‘em!”

he fires at the tires as well, and bambam swerves the car to the right as the car behind them’s tires go out. yugyeom’s thrown back into the car from the force, and he laughs gleefully at the exhilaration. “that was fun!”

“i hope you did have fun, there’s more comin’,” bambam chuckles, checking his mirrors. “on the right, coming towards us. take down the driver, it’s only him.”

“ _stay safe, kyum, i don’t want either of you to be hurt_ ,” yugyeom hears jaebum say in his earpiece. “ _don’t do anything risky_.”

“we won’t, defsoul,” yugyeom says, putting away his handgun and aiming his sniper out the window. “we’re okay.”

yugyeom shoots, and bambam whoops when he hears the other car screeching off and flipping over. “good job, kyum!”

“ _get over to the area of the targets immediately_ ,” jackson says, and bambam turns the car around, driving over there immediately. “ _the others are coming out, targets behind them. can you get there in one minute?_ ”

“thirty seconds,” bambam grins, driving faster. “it’s a bet.”

yugyeom preps his sniper, aiming it outside the window. “let’s go, double b.”

bambam drives up to the building, and yugyeom sees the others rushing out of the building, and he says, “get down, all of you!”

as soon as the others duck down, bambam jerks the wheel, and the car swerves, drifting around the area. yugyeom immediately starts firing at the targets. he hits them with every shot, and he laughs with glee when they’re all shot down. bambam slams the brakes and the car skirts to the side for a few seconds before stopping.

“that was awesome,” yugyeom breathes out, a loopy grin on his face. “we should do that again, but for fun.”

“this is why you’re my new best friend here and will forever be my best friend,” bambam giggles as he and yugyeom unbuckle their seatbelts. “go to your boyfriend, he’s coming for you.”

yugyeom opens the door of the car and steps out, setting his sniper on the ground. youngjae rushes over to him, and yugyeom hugs him close, bending down a bit so that he can hide his face against youngjae’s neck. youngjae coos softly and runs his hand through yugyeom’s hair, whispering, “hey, sweetie. you did really good out there.”

“thank you,” yugyeom mumbles, looking up so youngjae can give him a kiss. “i’m sure you did, too.”

youngjae smiles, patting yugyeom’s cheek. “cute. did you have fun with bam?”

yugyeom’s eyes sparkle, and he nods eagerly, saying, “yeah! it was really fun!”

“i’m glad,” youngjae says gently, watching as bambam gets out of the car and leans against it, watching everyone silently and a bit awkwardly. “hey, bam. come on over here.”

bambam goes over to them, twirling the car key on his finger. “hey.”

“thank you for keeping yugy safe,” youngjae says sincerely. “you did pretty good.”

“it was nothin’,” bambam shrugs, rubbing the car key against his wrist. yugyeom reaches out and gently pries the key away, making bambam purse his lips and add, “i really did nothing compared to you guys. i just… drove around.”

“at impressive speeds while helping us -- especially yugy -- to get rid of all the targets,” youngjae frowns. he lowers his voice, adding, “don’t be so down about this. you’re not useless, i know that’s what you’re thinking. okay?”

“c’mon, i can take you t-to jinyoung hyung,” yugyeom whispers, his exhilaration now gone and his nervousness replacing it. he takes bambam’s hand gently and lets go of youngjae’s hand when the older nods at him encouragingly. yugyeom leads bambam to the others as youngjae follows close behind, and when they approach them, yugyeom calls out softly, “jinyoung hyung, bammie’s h-here.”

jinyoung turns immediately and comes over, pulling bambam towards him and inspecting him. “hey. you okay? you’re not hurt?”

“i’m fine,” bambam whispers, frowning at the small cut on jinyoung’s cheek. “what happened?”

“some bastard snuck up on me,” jinyoung sighs. “it’s fine, though. it doesn’t hurt.”

bambam hums softly, and jinyoung leans his forehead against bambam’s, whispering, “what’s wrong? talk to me.”

“i don’t feel like i did enough today,” bambam whispers back, focusing on the ground. “all i did was drive around, you know? i wasn’t helpful with the action. i don’t want to keep that up so that everyone can think i’m weak and that’s all i can do. and yugyeom took away the car key.”

“why?”

“i was digging it against my wrist,” bambam mumbles, and he scrunches up his nose when he hears the disappointed sigh from jinyoung. “i know, i know…”

“you did good today, just talk to jaebum about how you feel about this, okay?” jinyoung says, leaning back a bit so that he can kiss bambam’s forehead. “i know he sounded mad at you when you mentioned targets, but he was really worried. not because he thought you were weak, but because he was worried something would go wrong and both you and yugyeom would get hurt. talk to him, okay?”

bambam nods and pulls away from jinyoung, glancing over and catching jaebum’s eye. jaebum beckons him over and bambam takes a deep breath before walking over to jaebum. “yes?”

“you’re okay, right?” jaebum frowns. “you and yugyeom?”

“yugyeom’s fine,” bambam says, not meeting jaebum’s eyes. “he’s okay.”

“i’m also asking about you,” jaebum says, eyes narrowing. “are _you_ okay?”

“i’m fine,” bambam sighs, keeping his focus on his shoes. “nothing went wrong.”

jaebum sighs in frustration, running a hand through his hair. he sits down at the bench a few feet away, gesturing for bambam to join him. when he does, jaebum says, “i’m not asking you this because i think you can’t handle it. i’m asking because i was worried about the both of you being safe. that’s my priority as a leader, and because i care for you and jinyoung.”

bambam nods in understanding, and jaebum adds softly, “how did you feel about the mission?”

“like i wasn’t enough,” bambam says after a few seconds, finally looking up at jaebum. “i was just driving. i know i helped you all take out the targets, but that was only ‘cause i was like the chauffeur. i don’t want that to always be the case. i want to be in battle as well.”

“and that’s fine,” jaebum smiles. “we can do that. you just tell me whenever you want to be on the front lines or when you want to deal with mainly the driving. okay?”

“okay,” bambam whispers, “thank you.”

“you’re welcome,” jaebum says, leaning back. “i’ve already had this talk with jinyoung-ah, but -- how are the others treating you? you feel all right around them?”

bambam looks over to where mark and jinyoung are talking, to where youngjae and yugyeom are sitting on the roof of the car bambam hijacked and cuddling. a van drives up and jackson hops out, and he immediately joins mark and jinyoung with a smile. bambam takes a deep breath and says, “yugyeom’s been the kindest to me. not that the rest of you aren’t, but -- he’s just… so sweet. he got so happy when i called him my best friend. it’s cute.

“youngjae’s also been nice, he’s taken care of me and jinyoung, as well as making sure our vitals and wounds are okay,” bambam hums, picking at the hole in his jeans. “mark and jackson… i don’t know. they’ve gotten kinder, but i’m just… afraid i’ll mess up around them and it’ll end up being a mess, you know?”

“i understand,” jaebum nods, twisting his rings. “they’re protective over the rest of us -- they’re not used to a new addition. they accepted yugyeom so quickly because you could _tell_ immediately he needed help, and even though he came from a mafia background as well, he was so tired and thin that we took him in immediately. you and jinyoung… you exhibited strength _and_ defense. it made them think you’d attack us and take over. and i know you didn’t, but -- mark’s especially paranoid about it. that’s why a lot of the targets he deals with at the club are those who want to overthrow this little mafia i have, because of my background and how much wealth we have, despite how small we are and how little bodyguards i associate with this group. even though i’m part of the bigger corporation with a bunch of help, this little group? it’s all me. that’s why mark thought it was suspicious when jinyoung asked to be a co-leader.”

bambam lets out a little noise of understanding, playing with his hands. “we -- we don’t want to take over. like how we said, we don’t want to associate ourselves with our family name. we just… _refuse_ to. the two of us, we can’t take this over, no matter how small it is.”

“if i may ask,” jaebum starts, “how _did_ you two know about my mafia, and about who we were?”

bambam takes a deep breath, leaning his head back and staring up at the night sky, studying the sky. “the last mafia group we encountered that tried to attack us, we found files on mafias around this area. yours -- it looked like a silent one. you only leave a mark behind, and that’s how they identify you. we found it weird that it was just five of you -- but after we saw how you were technically a part of im corporations, it made more sense. also, anyway, your roles seemed obvious by the way you guys acted. we were raised to be really observant.”

“i see,” jaebum says softly. they both look over when jackson whoops, and jaebum chuckles as jackson jumps on mark’s back and mark twirls him around. “but hey -- you’re fine. the others, they trust both you and jinyoung, okay?”

bambam nods, and jaebum rubs bambam’s shoulder before they both stand. “come on. i’ll let you speed home with that car you found. you can take three others -- and _yes_ , you can choose youngjae, yugyeom, and jinyoung. i know you’re going to choose them.”

bambam grins and salutes him before running over to the others. he snatches the car key back from yugyeom, saying loudly. “yugy, jae, nyoung, come with me! you’re coming back with yours truly.”

“i call shotgun,” jinyoung grins, immediately getting into the passenger seat. yugyeom shrugs at this, saying, “i get to cuddle hyung, so it’s fine.”

bambam groans dramatically before getting in the car, along with youngjae and yugyeom. he starts up the car and rolls down the window, winking at the other three and saying, “see ya at the house! bet you can’t catch up!”

“that’s a bet,” jackson huffs, immediately getting into the van. jaebum rolls his eyes as he and mark join him, jackson yelling, “come on, li’l kid!”

“ _li’l kid_?” bambam scoffs, rolling up his window. “he’ll see.”

bambam puts the gear on drive and floors the gas, immediately speeding back to the location of their house. jinyoung leans back with a smile as he sees jackson follow them in the wing mirror, saying, “beat him, li’l snake.”

bambam grins, making a sharp turn and continuing to drive. he glances in the rearview mirror, grin widening when he sees yugyeom curled up against youngjae. “that’s cute. don’t get hurt, though.”

yugyeom snorts as youngjae flips off bambam, who cackles as he runs a red light (in his defense, it’s an empty street. don’t give him that look, jinyoung).

soon, bambam pulls up to the house with jackson’s van right next to him. bambam opens the car door and steps out with the others, and he grins at jackson when the older gets out of the van. “fair race?”

“yeah,” jackson hums, stretching. “it was fair. i’m exhausted, though. can we do a movie night?”

yugyeom perks up, eyes twinkling at the concept. “yeah! besides, jaebum hyung, y-you promised movie night after th-the next mission, which is now finished.”

jaebum chuckles, shrugging his shoulders. “if you guys want.”

“i call choosing the movie!” yugyeom says excitedly, grabbing youngjae’s hand and rushing inside the house. jackson lets out a yell, running after him as they start bickering.

jaebum snorts and beckons for jinyoung to follow him. as they both enter the house, mark looks at bambam, who starts playing with the car key again. “would you like to join us?”

bambam glances up before clenching the car key, the metal digging into his palm. “i don’t know. jinyoung hyung’s gotten used to everything and everyone already. i’m… still unsure about my position. i don’t want to intrude on a time you can relax.”

“you’re _not_ intruding,” mark says quietly, reaching out to gently unclench bambam’s hand. “and don’t hurt yourself like that. i know jackson and i may have seemed unwelcoming, but i’m just… really paranoid about new members, you know? i’m sure jaebum’s told you. and i apologize on both of our behalfs, okay? we tried to get closer to you, but you always seemed to get away before something happens.”

bambam purses his lips, shoving the car key in his pocket. “sorry.”

“it’s fine, it should be me apologizing,” mark sighs, running a hand through his hair. he holds out his hand and says, “come on, let’s go inside. i’m in charge of snacks, you can help me out so you can busy yourself.”

bambam hesitantly takes mark’s hand and lets him lead him inside. when they enter, jackson pops up immediately with a grin on his face. bambam can hear yugyeom whining loudly in the background, and jackson says, “are you going to help us with the snacks?”

“u-um -- yes?” bambam says with uncertainty, looking back and forth between mark and jackson.

“great,” jackson says, and he and mark lead bambam into the kitchen. mark starts to put the popcorn in the microwave to let it pop, and jackson gets out the bowls for the snacks. bambam hesitantly grabs a few bags of chips and looks back up at the other two. jackson notices and says gently, “hey, if you feel uncomfortable, you can pass out those snacks and cuddle up with someone, okay?”

bambam sighs gratefully and nods, rushing out of the kitchen. he places the snacks at the little coffee table and stands around, watching everyone carefully. jaebum and jinyoung are sitting together, discussing something quietly that might have to do with the mission. youngjae and yugyeom are laying on their stomachs on the ground in a quickly made yet quite sturdy blanket and pillow fort.

yugyeom notices him and waves at him, saying, “join us! w-we have room for one more.”

“are you sure?” bambam asks, furrowing his eyebrows. “i don’t want to intrude…”

“it’s fine,” youngjae smiles. “besides, yugy just wants more cuddles. so it’ll be okay.”

bambam chuckles quietly before sneaking his way into the pillow fort, unknowing of jinyoung’s little smile directed at him. yugyeom passes him a pillow and a blanket, and bambam places the pillow under his chin as he drapes the blanket over his body. he thanks yugyeom quietly and hugs the pillow with a smile.

“we’re gonna w-watch finding nemo,” yugyeom says happily, smiling at bambam. “jackson hyung wanted t-to watch some romcom, but i convinced him with finding nemo.”

“i’ve never seen it,” bambam says curiously. “is it good?”

“you’re gonna cry with me,” yugyeom says solemnly. “i-it’s sad. but it’s also cute. and happy at the end.”

bambam giggles and youngjae whispers dramatically, “he cries every time.”

yugyeom whines, and bambam snorts, hiding his face against his pillow to smother his laughter. youngjae nuzzles his nose against yugyeom’s jaw and hums, “i’m sorry, cutie. it’s okay that you cry.”

mark and jackson come out of the kitchen at that moment with bowls of popcorn; mark hands a bowl to jaebum and jinyoung, while jackson hands the two in his hands to youngjae, yugyeom, and bambam. he grins at them and yugyeom sticks out his tongue, saying, “you bullied me and said i cry t-too much over finding nemo! fuck off!”

bambam wheezes and stuffs his face against his pillow as jackson chokes. youngjae pinches yugyeom’s cheek and, as the younger whines, he says, “don’t be a brat. apologize. _both_ of you.”

“sorry, kiddo,” jackson says, and yugyeom mumbles an apology as well as his nose scrunches up. “i don’t mind, younghjae-yah. it’s really fine.”

yugyeom presses his cheek against his pillow, and bambam grabs a few pieces of popcorn and presses it against yugyeom’s lips. yugyeom eats the popcorn happily and youngjae ruffles his hair, smiling at bambam gratefully. yugyeom turns his head towards youngjae, who leans forward and kisses him gently. bambam rolls his eyes and coughs loudly, making yugyeom jerk away and whine, hitting bambam’s shoulder, making bambam cackle at him quietly.

yugyeom gasps when he sees the movie start, and he immediately settles down, smile on his face. youngjae leans over yugyeom and whispers to bambam, “you getting more comfortable with us?”

“yeah,” bambam whispers back, looking over at youngjae. “i just… didn’t expect it to be this chill when there aren’t missions? i don’t know…”

“no, no, i understand,” youngjae reassures, smiling gently. “i was like that, too. but jaebum told us all -- he wants us to think of this as like… a new family, you know? not just an occupation.”

bambam nods, and before he can say something, yugyeom shushes them, whispering, “watch with me!”

youngjae snorts, and he and bambam cuddle yugyeom so that the younger is happy and calm. they eat the popcorn and, sure enough, bambam’s tearing up with yugyeom in the first five minutes, whining, “what the fuck. what the _fuck_.”

“i told you,” yugyeom sniffles, and youngjae chuckles as he hands them the box of tissues he had prepared. “it’s sad.”

“jinyoung’s crying, too,” jaebum calls out, and from the loud thump, bambam can assume that jaebum got hit by jinyoung. “it’s true! and so is jackson!”

  
“and so are you, your tears just haven’t fallen!” jackson whines, and bambam and jinyoung burst out laughing as jaebum huffs. “youngjae-ah, he’s doing the jaw thing again!”

youngjae squeaks, jutting out his jaw dramatically and lowering his voice as he says, “i think i’m so _cool_ and _tough_ ‘cause i’m the _leader_. i don’t cry. _fuck_ that.”

mark starts cackling, and jaebum grumbles, “you guys _suck_.”

as the movie continues to play, bambam notices how yugyeom’s mouthing along to the dialogue, and he asks, “did you memorize the whole movie?”

yugyeom startles, but he nods, saying, “i really like this movie. i remember when it came out, i really loved fish at the time. i watched it so many times i memorized everything.”

youngjae nuzzles closer against yugyeom at this, and bambam smiles when he realizes yugyeom didn’t stutter nervously over his explanation, which meant that he clearly liked the movie. “that’s cute.”

they continue to watch the movie, and there’s a few interruptions every once in a while that makes yugyeom whine and huff and puff because he has to pause the movie.

by the end of the movie, both bambam and yugyeom are wiping away their tears with the tissues. “that’s really sad,” bambam wails, rubbing his eyes. “i _hate_ you guys. except yugy and nyoungie. i hate the rest of you.”

yugyeom laughs in between his crying and hugs bambam, sniffling, “it’s okay. i t-told jackson that when he called me a crybaby the first time. i-i just said i only hated him, though.”

bambam giggles and he crawls out of the pillow fort, looking at jinyoung with a pout. “that was sad.”

“i know,” jinyoung says, rubbing his eyes. “but it’s _good_.”

“there’s a finding dory, b-but finding nemo is _so_ much better,” yugyeom grumbles, sitting up and wiping away his tears with his sleeve. youngjae sits up as well, laughing when yugyeom whines about the fort almost falling because youngjae also sat up. “this is the best movie.”

“we know, honey,” youngjae coos, crawling out of the fort and waiting for yugyeom to crawl out as well. “you love this movie a lot. i’ll get you another nemo plush.”

yugyeom smiles happily and sands, tugging at youngjae’s hands. “c’mon, hyungie, i’m sleepy.”

“cute,” youngjae chuckles, standing up. “good night, guys. we’ll see you in the morning.”

youngjae and yugyeom go upstairs, and mark stands as well, pulling jackson up with him. they gather their bowls and their empty bags of chips, and mark says, “we’ll get going, too.”

jaebum, jinyoung, and bambam bid them a quiet good night as they put away their stuff and go upstairs as well. jaebum motions for bambam to join them, and when bambam looks back at the pillow fort hesitantly, jaebum says, “don’t worry about it, we can clean it up in the morning.”

bambam sits on the opposite side of jaebum, he and jinyoung exchanging confused glances. jaebum hums softly, saying, “i know i’ve asked you both already, but i really want to know again — what did you two think of the mission?”

“it went well,” jinyoung says, fingers brushing against the cut on his cheek. “it went surprisingly quick, but the job was done well.”

“it was okay on my part,” bambam shrugs, pursing his lips. “i just… want to be in the action next time.”

“of course,” jaebum nods, gentle smile on his face, trying to ignore the briefly startled looks on jinyoung and bambam’s faces when he continued to keep his promise of letting bambam on the front lines in the next mission. “we can do that. is there anything else?”

“no, nothing,” jinyoung shakes his head, and so does bambam. “thank you, jaebum.”

jaebum nods in reply, standing up and grabbing the rest of the bowls. “you two should go rest, all right? i’ll see you all in the morning. good night.”

“good night,” jinyoung and bambam whisper, both of them quietly rushing upstairs. jinyoung pauses in front of his room, glancing at bambam, who nods and enters the room with jinyoung. they change quickly and dive under the covers, bambam curling up against jinyoung and yawning. jinyoung takes a deep breath, saying, “first week was okay?”

“yeah,” bambam says, biting his lip. “mark hyung and jackson hyung are sort of nice now. that’s really all i’m still worried about, i guess, and it’s not much. everyone else … they’re nice.”

“so we have similar feelings, then,” jinyoung hums. “it’ll get better. i’ve been having talks with jaebum lately — don’t give me that look,” jinyoung adds when he notices bambam raising his eyebrow, “it’s nothing like that. anyway, he told me about how mark is just paranoid about this li’l mafia being thrown off balance. but jaebum said that he actually really cares for us, he and jackson — something about mark going to jaebum after everyone went to sleep and being on a near breakdown just because of your first club experience.”

“huh,” bambam says softly, left thumb rubbing his right wrist, over the spot where he dug the car key. “interesting. i’m happy they care… but i’d rather focus on it later. let’s rest up, okay. youngjae’s gonna check up on both of our wounds tomorrow after breakfast.”

“okay,” jinyoung whispers, making sure that the covers are up to bambam’s chin. “good night, li’l snake.”

“g’night, li’l prince,” bambam snickers, their little joke continuing out throughout the years. he lets his eyes flutter shut to the feeling of jinyoung’s fingers slowly running through his hair, finally allowing himself to be happy and at peace.

**Author's Note:**

> hope u all enjoyed uwu!!!


End file.
